Daily Devotional for Monday, March 4

Treating Rich Visitors with Great Respect

“And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool,” James 2:3.

How would you react if a local bank president walked into your church followed by the rough guy from down the road covered with tattoos? Would everyone greet the bank president heartily (probably seeing dollar signs for the church offering), and not say a word to the tattooed guy? Do we escort the bank president to sit by us and pray that the tattooed fellow will stay in the back? That is not God’s plan, and this was what James was teaching.

In the eyes of God, what things do we all have in common? Two things are common to us all: first, God loves us all; second, all are sinners. What things divide us into categories in the eyes of God? Well, in the eyes of God, there are only two kinds of people: those who are unforgiven sinners and those who are forgiven sinners. There are lost people and saved people. There are also those who obey God and those who do not.

How does God not divide us? Let’s look at some ways. God does not divide us based on appearance. God does not divide us based on ancestry. God does not divide us based on age. God does not divide us based on achievement. God does not divide us based on affluence or influence.

If God does not divide us by these things, why do we separate ourselves based on them? What gives us the right to establish divisions among people based on criteria that the Creator of the Universe does not use Himself? If you do this, why do you think you have the right to do so?

JUST A THOUGHT
If God looked at us like we look at each other, we would be in a real bind.

Wally Fry